Wednesday, May 31, 2017

If you are like most people, when you pick up a
new prescription at the drug store, you smile as you take the bag from the
pharmacist, show your medication savings card, pay,
and leave … never actually opening the bag until you get home. What you may not
realize is that prescription labels (required by federal law) provide a wealth
of information. By quickly reviewing the label for three key things before you
leave the pharmacy counter, you can help to ensure that your prescription will
be administered and dosed correctly – keeping you and your family safe.

Your Prescription Drug Label – Three Things You Should Always Check:

1. Your name

It sounds so simple, but it takes less than one
second for you to check and make sure that the person behind the counter didn’t
accidentally give you someone else’s prescription by mistake. Medication errors
aside, a misspelled name or incorrect address can cause huge insurance
headaches – better to catch and correct the issue before you leave the
pharmacy.

2. Your dosing and storage instructions

For most people, the dosing instructions are the
only thing they read on a prescription drug label – and usually not until
they’re ready to take it for the first time. Check the instructions before you
walk away from the counter to see if you have any questions about how your
medication should be administered. As a bonus, if the pharmacist sees you
reading the label, they might offer additional tips that are not included on
the printout (like that amoxicillin doesn’t require refrigeration, but often
tastes better to toddlers when it is kept very cold).

3. Your refill instructions

Many pharmacists will tell you that the majority
of the questions they answer on any given day are related to prescription
refills. Most prescription drug labels include this information on the bottle.
Take a quick look at the label to confirm those details and ask if they aren’t
immediately clear. You will save everyone some time when your current course of
medication runs out.

Check out our graphic below for additional
information about what is included on a prescription drug label and be sure to
ask your pharmacist if you have any questions.

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

While saving on your prescription medications can help you maintain your budget and stay healthy, it’s
also vital to lead an active lifestyle. Starting with your kindergarten gym
teacher, people have been telling you that it is important to stretch your
muscles regularly – and they’re right! Here’s what you need to know.

Why You Need to Stretch

To put it simply, stretching keeps your muscles
healthy and flexible. Flexibility is important, according to experts at Harvard Medical School. Without it, the muscles shorten and become tight, weak, and unable to
extend all the way. Weak muscles put you at risk for joint pain, strains, and
muscle damage. A few minutes of stretching a day can make a major difference to
your health.

Benefits of Stretching

Beyond maintaining critical flexibility, regular
stretching has other benefits as well. Here are just a few of the benefits
identified by Prevention Magazine:

●Improved balance – Researchers have found that
people who stretch regularly are less likely to trip and fall, likely due to
improved fine-muscle coordination.

●Better workouts – Healthy muscle flexibility
makes it easier to maintain proper form during workouts, ensuring you reap the
maximum benefits from each exercise.

●Less stress – By relieving tight muscles,
stretching tricks the body into believing that you are less stressed.

Stretching Safely

Before you start contorting your body into
difficult yoga poses, please keep in mind a few guidelines for safe stretching.
The Mayo Clinic recommends that you:

●Always stretch warm muscles – Before stretching,
warm up with light walking, jogging, or biking at low intensity for five to ten
minutes. Or, consider stretching after your workout when your muscles are
already warm.

●Keep movements smooth – Avoid looking like an
80s workout video and try not to bounce when you stretch. Bouncing can actually
contribute to muscle tightness and injury.

Wednesday, May 17, 2017

It
can happen to anyone. You carefully budget for a family vacation, search for
travel deals online, and then embark on your much-anticipated trip… Only to
return and realize that you went way over budget, despite scoring great deals
on your flights and hotel. What happened? You probably spent so much time
focused on your big expenditures (flights, hotels, park passes, etc.), that you
forgot about the smaller ones (fees, meals, and snacks), which can really add
up.

Here
are four tips for keeping those smaller expenditures under control, so that you
can enjoy your time with your family:

1. Be strategic about
cash and credit card use

Learn
about your credit cards before your trip. Some cards charge hefty fees when
they are used outside of the United States and some do not. Some also provide
added benefits, such as insurance coverage for rental cars, which could save
you from having to make additional purchases on the road. It also helps to
decide where you will access cash while away from home. Some locations, like
Las Vegas, are notorious for having high ATM fees, which can add up quickly. Do
your research, so that you’re not surprised when you get your bill!

2. Scout a few good
deals in advance

Take
five minutes and see which chain restaurants near your destination have “kids
eat free” promotional days. It also helps to know where easy lunch options are
located near popular tourist destinations, so that you can avoid paying higher
prices for in-venue dining. Depending on
your family, a simple Google search could cut your meal bill in half!

3. Take advantage of
free WiFi where possible

Texting
and calling abroad can easily add up, so turn off cellular data whenever
possible when outside of the United States, and take advantage of free WiFi
hotspots. If you are staying in the U.S. but your hotel charges for in-room
WiFi, this tip also applies – just wait and download your podcasts and check
your Instagram when you stop for coffee, and you won’t have to pay an extra fee
for access.

NOTE: Using public
WiFi, even hotel WiFi, always comes with some risk, so think before you access any password-protected accounts.

4. BYO – Bring Your Own

While
it is not always practical, BYOing on vacation can really save money. In
particular, bring your own:

·Refillable water bottles
– most locations have easy-to-access water fountains, including major theme
parks and airports

·Over-the-counter basics
– having a few small packs of ibuprofen, cold/allergy meds, and your preferred
method of dealing with a stomach bug can save you from having to pay for
overpriced medication in an airport or hotel shop

And
of course, make sure to always have your FamilyWize card with you (or download the app for your Apple or Android device), so that you
can save money on any surprise prescription drug purchases on-the-go (hopefully
you won’t need them!).

Wednesday, May 10, 2017

This post is part of
our “Ask an Expert” blog series. In this post, Ken Majkowski, Pharm.D and Chief
Pharmacy Officer at FamilyWize, addresses a common question consumers have when it
comes to prescription drugs. Ken brings more than 40 years of healthcare
experience to the FamilyWize team, including 14 years of clinical pharmacy
experience in retail, hospital, and home care. Read his full bio, here.

It is estimated that 3.6 million
Americans carry an EpiPen every day, a pen-shaped device containing
epinephrine, which can prevent patients with severe allergies from experiencing
a potentially deadly allergic reaction.

In
2016, EpiPens were frequently in the news, as drug company Mylan raised the
price of the lifesaving device to over $600 per pen. Public outrage flared
after it was pointed out in the media that the auto-injectors have increased in
retail price more than 400 percent in recent years, and concern was raised that
some people would not be able to access treatment when they need it.

Alternatives to the
EpiPen

In
response to public outcry, last year Mylan announced that an authorized generic
product would be available for half the price of a brand name EpiPen.

But
in 2017, patients have an even more accessible alternative. Recently, drugstore
chain CVS announced that it would start
selling an epinephrine auto-injector for $109.99 per two-pack (before any
discounts are applied). This compares to a cash price of
$649.99 for EpiPen.

CVS
says its epinephrine auto-injector is based on the generic of Impax
Laboratories’ Adrenaclick treatment. Adrenaclick, approved by the Food
and Drug Administration in 2003, also administers epinephrine like an
EpiPen, but through a slightly different injection.

What Patients Need to
Know

If
you or someone in your family requires an epinephrine auto-injector, please
know that you have options to consider. If your doctor writes you a
prescription for an EpiPen and you don’t have insurance or your insurance won’t
cover the prescription, ask him or her about more cost-effective alternatives.
You can also discuss your options with your pharmacist or your insurance
provider.

Regardless
of your insurance status or which injector you choose to use, the Free FamilyWize Prescription Savings Card may enable everyone
to save on their prescription medications. Please check with your pharmacist to
verify your savings.

Wednesday, May 3, 2017

May is National Stroke Awareness Month. Although
largely preventable, statistics show that every 40 seconds someone in the
United States has a stroke. In fact, stroke
is a leading cause of
long-term disability in the United States.

The costs can be so significant that the National Stroke Association has a section of its website dedicated to
helping stroke survivors manage their finances. The organization recommends
four tips for adjusting to the financial demands of stroke recovery:

●Create a financial plan – Establish a
budget so that you can cut costs and responsibly use your savings before
withdrawing from retirement funds or taking on debt.

●Maintain your health insurance – It is
critical to work with your employer and insurance provider to ensure you have
ongoing coverage.

●Contact your lender or landlord – If you think
you may have trouble paying your mortgage or rent, proactively reach out to
discuss your options. Local and federal housing programs may be able to help.

●Use your local resources – As you are
recovering, take advantage of the many different utility, food, and other
support programs in your area so that you can focus on getting well.

Carefully managing the cost of your prescription
medications is also an important component of your healthcare budget. The
FamilyWize Prescription Discount Card, which is regarded as one of the best options for people in need of pharmacy savings cards, enables everyone, both insured and uninsured, to save on prescription
medications, with average savings of around 40 percent. The rx discount card is free for all
and has unlimited use and no eligibility requirements. It is accepted at
pharmacies nationwide, including all major chains. Learn more at FamilyWize.org.